It didn’t take long for the Avon softball team to stake its claim to its fifth consecutive Mayflower Small title in a 7-3 win over West Bridgewater on Wednesday.

The Panthers jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the first inning thanks to back-to-back home runs by seniors Maggie Hoffman (opposite-field, two-run homer) and Jen Crane. From there, Avon never looked back.

“It eased my nerves,” said Avon coach Karen McCarthy of the home runs. “It think it broke the ice for the girls.”

After the home runs, Avon capped its first-inning scoring when Lyndsey MacQuarrie scored on an RBI single by Sam Conley (3-for-4).

West Bridgewater came out swinging in the bottom half of the inning, but Avon center fielder Shannon Sinclair made two running catches, including one just in front of the fence, to prevent the Wildcats from grabbing any momentum.

The win brings the Panthers’ (14-1) league record to 11-0 while dropping the Wildcats’ (11-3) league record to 9-2. For West Bridgewater to steal the league title, it will need to win its final three league games while Avon will have to go winless.

“Any game can go any way,” said West Bridgewater coach Courtney Trupiano. “They had it this year, but hopefully we can come back and get them next year.”

In the first matchup, Avon won, 8-2, at home on April 10.

Hoffman, a newly minted 50-game winner, picked up the win (complete game, three runs, five hits, two strikeouts, one walk) with 19 putouts from her defense, which was errorless.

“It was a whole team effort today,” said McCarthy. “It wasn’t just my twins (Jen and Chris Crane), or Hoffman, it was everybody.

“This was one of our best games this year.”

The Wildcats made strong contact all game, but their hits couldn’t find the ground.

“We were hitting right at them,” said Trupiano, “couldn’t find the gaps.”

Avon added another run in the top of the second inning on an RBI single by Hoffman (2-for-3, four RBI) to grab a 5-0 lead. The Panthers brought two more runs across in the fourth to take a 7-0 lead. Maggie Duggan (3-for-4, two runs scored) and Chris Crane (2-for-4, two runs scored) started the inning by reaching on infield hits. Hoffman scored Duggan on a sacrifice fly and Brittany McDonald brought home Crane on an RBI single.

The Wildcats didn’t go down without a fight despite trailing 7-0. In the bottom of the fourth inning, Cate Francoeur (2-for-2, walk) scored on an RBI single by Anna Comperchio.

After a 1-2-3 fifth inning, West Bridgewater cut the Avon lead to 7-3 in the sixth when Mackenzie Clarke hit a two-run home run to center field that scored Francoeur.

Page 2 of 2 - Hoffman wasn’t flustered, though, and pitched a perfect 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the seventh to seal the win.

Trupiano doesn’t expect her squad to dwell on the loss.

“We’re the type of team,” said Trupiano, “that will let one game go and just come out and play our game the next game.”

Christine Schondek pitched the final three innings in relief for West Bridgewater. Schondek (three hits, no runs, two strikeouts) held runners in scoring position in each of the final three innings to keep the game within reach for the Wildcats.